The Contract enshrines nine principles for governments, companies, and citizens, and aims to foster a new collaborative approach for the web.
Background: In November 2018, the inventor of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, called for governments, companies and citizens from across the world to take action to protect the web as a “force for good”. In January 2019, over 80 signatories to the contract principles debated and negotiated the full details and commitments to be outlined in the full Contract For The Web. That process was informed by a public consultation with more than 600 inputs, including from policy experts. In July 2019, the signatories published the first draft text of the Contract.
The nine principles of the Contract: The Contract sits on three pillars for governments (ensure everyone can connect; keep all of the internet available all the time; and protect people’s privacy and data rights), three for companies (make the internet affordable and accessible to everyone, respect people’s privacy and personal data, and develop technologies that support the best in humanity), and three for citizens (be creators and collaborators on the web, build strong communities that respect human dignity, and fight for the web). In particular, companies should support corporate accountability and robust privacy by design, and promote innovative business models that strengthen data rights, respect privacy, and minimise data collection practices.
Next steps: Once the principles have been set in the contract, the signatories will now work on building concrete solutions to support those goals. To do this, they will convene experts to develop specific, evidence-based solutions to the problems facing the web. The alliance will also ensure measurement and accountability of the Contract’s clauses, and track progress of stakeholders’ commitments. They will also rely on the authority and expertise of regulators around the world to hold companies accountable for complying with existing laws that support the Contract’s goals. More than 150 companies have already signed up to the commitments, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter, among others.
